RadMeter

Despite the latest improvements in terms of PC hardware availability and ratio between cost and performance, many users still wish to make the most of its potential when multitasking, which is where a neat performance measuring widget known as RadMeter comes into play, allowing you to preview your processor usage when testing various apps without relying on the Task Manager to do so.

Double-clicking on the program’s executable instantly launches the background process responsible for gathering the hardware usage statistics alongside the core widget itself, placed in the top left corner of the screen to avoid distracting users from their regular workflow or gaming sessions, while also being large enough to spot and serve as a visual cue for the intensity at which your processor is used. The line graph seems to closely follow the Task Manager’s minimalist style, making the app fit in with the rest of Windows’ interface elements.

In order to avoid issues while reordering your desktop folders and items, or problems when interacting with your real-time-strategy game’s interface, hovering your cursor over the widget makes it almost completely transparent, thus revealing the portion of the display sitting underneath it, a function similar to popular program Rainmeter’s widget customization features. Moreover, thanks to its portable format, the app can be easily added to on-the-go USB flash drive-powered setups for IT personnel who wish to preview a client’s performance while running a particular video game.

Unfortunately, only the CPU meter seems to be supported while running the program, despite its GitHub repository showing the rest of the hardware monitoring functions, which severely impacts the utility’s usefulness compared to its full potential. Finally, given its lack of a system tray icon, users have no choice but to scour the Task Manager’s Processes tab to find and forcefully close the app when their work session is finished.

If you want a straightforward way of testing how CPU-intensive a certain program or video game truly is without having to sacrifice too much screen real estate, RadMeter may be the right tool for you, as long as its limitations do not hinder your workflow.